Send me email updates about messages I've received
on the site and the latest news from The CafeMom Team.By signing up, you certify that
you are female and accept the Terms of Service and have read the
Privacy Policy.

How well do you watch your kid at the park?

So I actually see this a ton. Parents go to the park because their kids are too young to be there without them (6 and under) but don't actually pay any attention to what their kid is doing. Normally it doesn't bother me, today it did. My kids were playing nicely taking turns going down a small slide. Another kid showed up and joined in (parent sitting on bench on phone not even looking), the kid starts pushing my son on the stairs because he isn't moving fast enough, then starts yelling at dd because she wants to have more turns. Then a much younger boy came, I told my kids they needed to be careful. The little girl was being much too rough and not letting him go, I told her the same thing I told my kids, you need to be careful because he is much smaller and you need to give him a turn. Baby's grandpa asks if they are all mine because I am the only parent in the area. DS moves on and dd and girl are running around playing. I hear dd yelling "no stop it" and "stop grabbing me". I look over and this little girl is pulling dd by the neck of her jacket and pushing her. I redirect dd to playing with her brother and the little girl follows and continues. Then she tells me she wants the stick dd has, there are a million sticks and that is no reason to play like that. I say she can get another stick, she doesn't. We ended up just leaving but her parent did nothing! Not even sure he noticed. She was about 4! I always stay near my kids and keep a close eye on them to make sure they are not only being safe but that they are playing nice. What is the point if going with if you aren't going to actually supervise?

I feel like I am that annoying helicopter parent at the park, and if your unsupervised kid is being a twit I will ask them to please stop.
I was shocked at how many times I would see one 8 year old in charge of up to three younger kids, from walking to the park to playing then walking home on base in Italy. I know that people think because these people are military they must all be amazing hero's but there are sick twisted individuals everywhere and I would NEVER let my 8 year old go to the park 2 streets over and be in charge of the younger kids. Never!
I don't even let my 7 yr old go by himself.

I am always watching dd like a hawk. I would have stepped in and done something if those kids were mine. We would have went home after saying sorry to your kids. Although my dd wouldn't have done that, she is like a momma bear with little ones. But DD would have told the other kid to beat it. She always try to defend someone who is younger than her from the other kids. I hope she carries this trait when she get older.

I was always there when mine were young and now with the grandbabies. I have no trouble asking a kid where his parent is and telling them to go to their parent right now. I have no trouble telling a parent that I would appreciate it if her would watch his own child to be sure she isn't hurting other children.

I watch mine like a hawk but so do all the other parents in the park. The parent may seem to be reading a book but they're actually keeping an eye on their child(ren). I've only once ever needed to intervene and it was because of a mentally challenged teen (around 12-13, I think). He wanted to play with the children in the park and didn't realize that he was actually scaring them. I gently explained to him that he was too big to play with them and that, although his intentions were good, the smaller kids were scared. He went away without a fuss. I worried about him after that - I don't think he was mature enough to be out on his own but what could I do?

I tend/tended to stay back more when my son was about 4 but I would always be withing hearing and seeing range. Not right there but hovering around the playground(ie not on a bench paying no mind lol). DS is pretty good about playing with others so I don't normally have to do much. I end up spending more time warning him that whatever he is doing may end up in injury..but unless it poses the risk of serious injury or death I don't step in(unless there is another child involved obviously).

I have left play areas before for the same kind of problem that you had.

I often have my book or my phone, but I'm definitely paying attention to what's going on - both how my kids are behaving and how others around them are behaving. If I see something, I'll briefly wait to see if it can resolve on its own (if my kid will tell another to stop or walk away, or if my kid realizes he's doing wrong and stops on his own), and if I don't see that happening, I step in.

I've stopped trying to talk to other parents about their kids being jerks, though. Around here, they don't care and just get all bent out of shape that you dare to imply that their child is less than perfect. So I resort to the passive aggressive loudly telling my kids, "I guess some kids just didn't learn how to play properly from their parents." kind of thing. lol

DD is four and I will hang back and watch from a bench if she is playing with a friend. If there is a situation like the one described I will send the kid back to their parent. Especially in the case where she put hands on your dd. It's as if they trust everyone in the park not to mess with their kid. I don't lol.